Refusal to Attend Hearing and Accompanying Order on the 4th
Possible Witness Prosecution for Contempt of National Assembly and Other Charges
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Special Committee for the Itaewon Disaster National Investigation is filing charges against Song Byeong-ju, former head of the Yongsan Police Station 112 Situation Room, for refusing to attend the hearing and rejecting the accompanying order.
Before the start of the second hearing held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 6th, the Special Committee submitted and approved the charges against former head Song.
Woo Sang-ho, chairman of the Special Committee and member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "Former head Song is a key witness who can accurately testify about the situation of the Itaewon disaster before it occurred," adding, "He did not attend the first and second agency reports and the first hearing, and even refused the accompanying order."
He further explained, "There was an agreement between the ruling and opposition party floor leaders to file charges for offenses such as absence under the Act on Witnesses and Experts in the National Assembly and for contempt of the National Assembly."
Former head Song was listed as a witness for the Special Committee's first hearing on the 4th. However, after notifying his absence, he did not comply with the National Assembly's accompanying order that afternoon.
According to the National Assembly Act, if a witness refuses an accompanying order, the Special Committee can file charges against the witness for contempt of the National Assembly and other offenses.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
